President John F. Kennedy
President John F. Kennedy
Apollo spacecraft orbiting the moon
Apollo spacecraft orbiting the moon
An astronaut floating in space
An astronaut floating in space
Walking on the moon
Walking on the moon
Photo taken during the Apollo 16 mission
Photo taken during the Apollo 16 mission
Moon car used by Apollo 17 astronaut
Moon car used by Apollo 17 astronaut
Apollo 13 command module back on earth
Apollo 13 command module back on earth
Apollo Space Program
Topic(s):   Space Exploration

In 1961, United States President John F. Kennedy made a speech to Congress. He set a goal of sending Americans to the moon. The Apollo space program began in 1963. It was the first space program to ever try to land people on the moon and bring them back safely to earth.

There were many Apollo space missions. Spaceships were built and improved. Astronauts were trained. NASA ran these missions to test what it could do. By Apollo 8, astronauts were able to orbit the moon. They could even walk in space. One spaceship part could link up with another.

The most famous mission was Apollo 11. Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins were the crew of the Apollo 11 mission. On July 20, 1969, Armstrong became the first person ever to walk on the moon. When he stepped on the moon, he said That’s one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind.

There were five more landings on the moon. For each mission, the astronauts gathered rock and dirt samples, took many pictures and explored the moon's surface. Because of the Apollo space program, scientists have learned about the moon, the solar system and space travel.

Citation information

APA Style: Apollo Space Program. (2014, March). Retrieved from Facts4Me at https://www.facts4me.com

MLA Style: "Apollo Space Program." Facts4Me. Mar. 2014. https://www.facts4me.com.

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